This easy Turkey Bolognese recipe is a healthy way to use turkey mince (ground turkey) and is a lightened up Bolognese compared to a beef one! Lower in fat and higher in protein (compared to standard minced beef) this delicious Italian inspired recipe won’t disappoint! The addition of sherry at the end makes for an exquisite pasta sauce!
It doesn’t seem that long ago that my family would turn their noses up at minced turkey as if it was somehow inferior to minced beef but now the tide has turned and we have it all the time.
I think the more we use an ingredient the more empathy we get for it and that’s probably why my family now love my minced turkey dishes.
Unlike red meat, turkey has a subtle flavour and therefore other ingredients can really shine in a dish.
So to answer the question “What can you make with turkey mince?” look no further than this Bolognese sauce recipe. It’s become a staple in our house and is far tastier than anything you’ll buy in a jar.
I watched with interest Greg Wallace’s latest show Eat Well for Less where the couple were taking a jar of sauce, adding a tin of tomatoes and all manner of extra herbs and spices. As Greg said “you’re making a sauce, you don’t need the jar”.
It’s so very true, if you have a tin of tomatoes you basically have the building block of a sauce with just a few simple additions!
The secret ingredient that makes this Bolognese extra special is the sherry which is added towards the end, forget red wine, it’s so last year!
How long does Turkey Bolognese take to make?
It takes just 50 minutes to make and most of that is hands-off time so it’s a great midweek meal!
What are the Ingredients?
You will need:
- olive oil
- onion
- carrot
- celery
- garlic
- turkey thigh mince (ground turkey)
- back bacon
- chicken stock
- tomato puree
- tinned chopped Italian plum tomatoes
- Italian mixed herbs
- sherry
- salt and pepper
Can you use Turkey Breast Mince?
You can use turkey breast mince but for the best flavour I recommend turkey thigh mince which has more fat in it to carry the flavours.
How do you make Turkey Bolognese? (Full recipe at bottom of page)
- Start by gathering and preparing the ingredients.
- Heat olive oil and sweat finely chopped onion, celery, carrot, and garlic over medium heat (Soffrito).
- The vegetables should be soft after about 8 minutes.
- Push vegetables to the side, add more olive oil and add the chopped bacon.
- Fry until cooked through.
- Add the minced turkey.
- Fry the minced turkey (ground turkey) until browned.
- Add the vegetable stock, tinned Italian chopped plum tomatoes, tomato puree, Italian herbs, salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
- Pop a lid on and simmer for a further 20 minutes.
- Add sherry and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
- Serve the Turkey Bolognese Sauce with spaghetti or mix it into your favourite pasta shapes and garnish with grated Parmesan cheese.
What are the health benefits of Turkey?
It’s a great source of protein, full of vitamins and minerals and is lower in fat than beef. It’s rich in B-complex vitamins niacin, B6 and B12 as well as the essential nutrient choline.
Turkey is a good source of magnesium and phosphorus and also provides iron, potassium and zinc. It’s also high in selenium.
How long will Turkey Bolognese Sauce keep for?
This Bolognese Sauce will keep for 3 days in the fridge and actually tastes better the following day!
Can you freeze this Bolognese Sauce?
Yes, you can freeze this Turkey Bolognese in a plastic container. Use within 3 months and thaw in the fridge overnight.
What can you serve with Turkey Bolognese?
Apart from serving it with spaghetti or pasta shapes of your choice and grated Parmesan, you can also serve it on a jacket potato or in a bun as a Sloppy Joe.
Sides that go well include garlic bread and salad such as my Tomato, Red Onion & Coriander Salad!
Can you batch-cook Turkey Mince Bolognese?
Yes, double the recipe and freeze in portions for when you’re busy!
More Turkey Mince Recipes
For more turkey mince recipes check out the following:
- Flavours of Brazil Turkey Burgers with Bacon and Pineapple
- Turkey and Chorizo Meatballs
- Polenta Crust Turkey Burgers with Heirloom Tomato Salsa,
- Turkey Koftes with Cous Cous Salad & Tzatziki
- Quick Turkey Kofta Kebabs with Spanish Smoked Paprika
- Turkey Meatloaf and ActFry Roast Potatoes
- Turkey Chilli with Baked Beans
I’m sure you’ll love this Turkey Bolognese spaghetti so please leave a comment and rating below when you try it.
Better still share a snap with me by tagging @FabFood4All on Instagram! Plus you can now find me on TikTok!
Pin for later!
Previously published 23/2/2015
Turkey Bolognese
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion large, finely dice
- 1 carrot large, finely diced
- 2 celery sticks finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 3 back bacon slices (smoked or unsmoked) chopped
- 450 g turkey thigh mince
- 1 tsp Italian herbs
- 400 ml vegetable stock made with 1 good quality stock cube
- 1 400g tin Italian chopped plum tomatoes (use top quality, makes all the difference)
- 2 tbsp tomato puree heaped
- 2 tbsp sweet sherry
- freshly ground salt and pepper
Garnish
- grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large pan and sweat the onion, carrot, celery and garlic under a lid for about 10 minutes until onions translucent (stirring occasionally).
- Push the vegetables to the outer edge, add another tbsp of oil and fry the bacon until cooked.
- Add the turkey mince and continue to fry until lightly browned.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs, pepper and stock.
- Bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes, popping the lid on after 10 minutes.
- Check seasoning.
- Add the sherry and continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Serve with spaghetti and parmesan cheese.
Tracy Nixon
This does sound nice and I suppose you could easily use chicken instead of turkey! I will bookmark for after Christmas – another idea to use up the turkey leftovers x
Camilla
This actually uses turkey mince rather than cooked turkey leftovers so no need to wait until Christmas:-)
Emily Leary
Sounds good and something my family would happily eat.
Camilla
Thanks Emily, we had it again this week only I’d run out of spaghetti so pasta spirals came to the rescue:-)
DANIELLE VEDMORE
Yum! I love bolognese (always make my own sauce – am a good girl!) but have never made it with turkey. In fact never used turkey mince before! Will definitely give it a try next week (having quorn bolognese this week) x
Camilla
Oh Danielle, turkey mince is so good, lots more recipes using it on here once you take the plunge:-)
Elizabeth
A lovely, proper comfort food recipe, this! 🙂
Jen
I don’t cook with turkey mince that often but I did make a really nice version of chilli with it last year so I really should buy it more often. I’ve not tried sherry in bolognese, I usually go for red wine, sounds like a nice variation.
Camilla
It’s so much cheaper than mince beef and healthier which is why we love it. Do try the sherry it works in beef bolognese too:-)
Sarah James
Turkey mince is certainly under rated, your turkey bolognese sounds delicious Camilla. Bookmarking your recipe 🙂
Camilla
Aaw thanks Sarah:-)
Jeanne Horak-Druiff
I only got to know turkey mince when I moved to the UK and I have to admit I was a little suspicious at first… but it is such a versatile ingredient and once you have added seasonings, it’s hard to distinguish from pork mince! Hubby would love your Bolognese…
Camilla
You’ve given me an idea now to try it in my Frikadella which are usually made with pork!
Kavey
I think turkey is oddly associated with Christmas in the UK. In France I know they enjoy turkey escalopes at any time of the year, it’s not considered a Christmas dish anyway. Turkey mince very healthy too! Must use it more often!
Camilla
Yes I associate the whole bird with Christmas but not the portions or mince and they are so versatile:-)
Claire @foodiequine
Loving the addition of Sherry, definitely going to give that a go next time I make Spag Bol. I used to use turkey mince a lot but have reverted back to beef and I’m not quite sure why.
Don’t get me started on that Eat Well for Less programme. Everyone on it seems to be lacking in common sense!
Camilla
Thanks Claire. Well of course they pic the most ridiculous extremes for that programme to make it more interesting but that couple that threw away stuff from their freezer after only a few weeks really got my goat!
Margot⚓Coffee & Vanilla
Sounds very good Camilla… turkey mince is such a versatile, low in fat ingredient I’m always in look out for turkey recipes so thank you for sharing this (and mentioning my recipe as well).
Camilla
Thanks Margot and a pleasure:-)